Whatz That? - Barstow agaves & kin

Agaves are native to the Western Hemisphere.  The Old World equivalents are Aloes and Bulbines.  The following list contains the agaves, aloes, and bulbines that I have in my garden in Barstow, most of which are grown in sheltered locations.  The only agave that is recommended by the Sunset Western Gardening Book for Sunset zone 11 is the Agave parryi.  No aloes or bulbines are recommended as they are not thought to be sufficiently winter hardy.  However, I have two bulbines and half a dozen aloes that have survived several winters in a sheltered location.  They are included in the list below..  I have not included pictures of the varieties that are not doing well. But if there is not a picture, do not assume it is doing poorly.  Some of my plants are too small to look much like their mature shape.  Most agaves are marginal for this area, so unless I am assured that they will take both the summer sun and the winter snow, I plant them in areas with some shelter.  Most agaves reproduce by offset.  Then when the mother plant blooms, and subsequently dies, the pups have survived.  Aloes also form offsets.  But aloes do not die when they bloom.  Supposedly a plant can be identified as an aloe or as an agave by the direction the teeth along the sides of the leaves are pointing.  The agave teeth point toward the root and the aloe teeth point toward the tip of the leaf.  I don't find this very helpful as the teeth don't seem to be consistent.

Century Plant/Agave americana
This plant is at the Barstow Public Library.  The extra water from the lawn has helped it grow large quickly.  Mine are a lot smaller and not as pretty.  They don't receive as much water.  The leaves are banded which is unusual for Century Plants, but common for those in Barstow.  I assume they have a common mother plant.

Varigated Century Plant/Agave  americana 'marginata'
This plant is at Dana Park.  Mine are much smaller and probably do not receive as much water.

Striped Century Plant/Agave americana mediopicta alba
2'x1' rosette
This is a small plant that offsets readily.  Again mine are smaller and probably receive less water.

Narow-leafed Agave/Agave angustifolia
3'x3' rosette
This plant has a beautiful shape.

Squid Agave/Agave bracteosa
3'x4' clump
One of these looks like a squid.  A clump of them just looks like a clump.

Agave colorata
This agave has grown where it is planted and has produced offsets.  However it does not look very good.  I'm not sure if it gets too much water ot what, so I will plant one of the offet in a drier location.  It is a small cup-shaped greyish plant.





King Ferdinand's Agave/Agave ferdinand-regis

Green Goblet Agave/Agave ferox
3'x3' rosette
A beautiful plant

Threadleaf Agave/Agave filifera
2'x2' rosette
As the name indicates, there are plentiful threads on the leaf margins.

Agave franzosinii
I just bought this one at Cactus Mart in Morongo Basin.  It may be marginal in Barstow, so I am thinking of keeping it in a pot, eventually a big beautiful pot of course.  Given the right conditions it becomes a very large fountain-shaped plant.

Agave gentry 'Jaws'
3'x3' rosette
Like many of my agaves and yuccas, I bought this online from yuccado.com.  Their website gives a lot of information about each plant.






 Gypsum Century Plant/Agave gypsophila
This one also came from Cactus Mart in Morongo Basin.  The people there are very knowledgeable about mature size and hardiness of their plants.  They said it Barstow might be too cold for it, so I will put it in a pot in a sheltered place.




Chisos Agave/Agave harvardiana
Agave neomexicana
Agave ocahui

Agave ovatifolia
This is a new plant for me.  From the pictures I have seen of mature ones, it reaches a fountainlike 5'x5'.






Agave parrasana

Agave parryi 'Cream Spike'
Most of the Agave parryi family are hardy in Barstow, but Yuccado Nursery which sells this, questions the identification and also it's hardiness.  It is a small gem about 5" in diameter, and is beginning to offset.  I have it in a sheltered location.  When it has enough pups that I am ready to divide it, I will try other locations.



Agave parryi var. huachacensis

Parry's Agave/Agave parryi var. parryi
3'x3' rosette
This is one of the most common agaves in nurseries.  It is one of the few recommended by Sunset for zone 11.

Artichoke Agave'Agave parryi var. truncata








Agave potrerana

Maguey de Pulquey/Agave salmiana
4'x3' rosette
offsets readily
The leaves have an attractive striped coloring.

Sharkskin Agave/Agave scabra
2'x3' rosette







Maguey/Agave schidigera 'Durango Delight'

Agave striata 'falcata'
1'x1' rosettes
Although with this plant, I am not sure how to tell a rosette from a clump.  Unlike most agaves, the leaves are stiff and hard rather than succulent.



Sea Urchin, Hedgehog Agave/Agave stricta

Tequila Agave/Agave tequilana
This becomes quite a large plant.  But as it is marginally hardy here, I will keep it in a pot, which will keep it smaller.  The leaves are narrow because it has been in a shady place.




Agave tourmeyana 'Bella'
Utah Agave/Agave utahensis

Queen Victoria Agave/Agave victoria-reginae
When these grow to 2'x3' they are incredible.  However, then they bloom, and like all agaves, die.

Octopus Agave/Agave vilamoriana

Blue Agave/Agave weberii

4'x3' rosette

These are beautiful large rosettes with their rippled leaves.  They grow extremely well here.

Agave x 'Sharkskin Shoes'

Agave ssp 'Mr. Ripple'

Aloes are not winter hardy in Barstow unless they have at least a little protection.  Also most of them are damaged by the summer sun.  So my aloes are either on the east side of walls, or under pine trees.  Unfortunately it is not easy to pick up pine needles that fall around them.

Lace Aloe/Aloe aristata

4'x4' clump

Desert Aloe/Aloe desertii
2'x1' clumping
yellow flowers on a tall stalk
A friend gave me my start of these.  Soon I had them planted all over the yard.  They grow with almost no water, and are the hardiest aloe I have found.  My identification as Aloe desertii is tentative.  But if that isn't its name, it ought to be.
A. desertii is native to the eastern parts of the Mojave Desert among other places.

Spider Aloe/Aloe humilis

4"x6" cluping
This is another small aloe that forms clumps.

Coral Aloe/Aloe striata
3'x2' offsets
This aloe is edged with pink when it grows in a location with more sun than the ones shown.  However, it will not take full sun in Barstow.  It is easy to grow and easy to propagate.  The bright orange flowers are borne on long stalks.

Karasberg Aloe/ Aloe striata ssp. Karasbergensis
This variety of the Coral Aloe has interesting striped leaves.  I have not decided where to plant mine yet, or if I should leave it in a pot.  It is said to be less hardy than the Coral Aloe.





Aloe vera/Aloe vera

Aloe ssp. 'Blue Elf'
This is a short clumping bluish aloe only about 6" high.  The first one I tried died.  I'm not sure if that was because of the winter cold, so I am trying again.

Bulbine frutescens/Stalked Bulbine
Bulbine latifolia

Most of these plants are on drip irrigation and are watered 10 min. once a week in Summer and 5 min. once every 2-4 weeks in Winter.  The aloes and those agaves which are under my pine trees, I water by hand.

Whatz That? - Barstow yuccas and kin

Yuccas and Nolinas are native to the Western hemisphere.  The Old World equivalents include the Dasylirions, Hesperaloes, and many similar species such as Furcraeas that are houseplants in Barstow because they are not winter hardy here.  Unfortunately nurserymen cannot always distinguish between them.  The following list is those plants that are in my garden.  The second list is additional plants that are recommended by Sunset's Western Gardening Book as growing in zone 11.  I first planted these species ten years ago, and have been planting different varieties ever since.  None of them have been in the ground long enough to show their mature shapes.  Therefore I am including pictures only of those that already have a distinctive shape, or have distinctive coloration. 

Sotol, Green Desert Spoon/Dasylirion acrotriche
All Dasylirions are slow growing, so this one, even though it has been in my garden for a few years, has yet to take on the usual hemispherical shape.

Great Blue Sotol/Dasylirion berlandieri
Here you can see the typical saw-toothed edges of Dasylirion leaves.  Unlike yuccas, the tips of the leaves are not sharp, but the edges are.

Mexican Grass Tree/Dasylirion longissima
Some day this will be a tall column topped with a pompom.  That will probably be past my lifetime.








Green Sotol/Dasylirion texana

Desert Spoon/Dasylirion wheeleri
This is the Dasylirion that is most frequently seen in gardens.









Hesperaloes are grown for the colorful flowers.  To some extent they reseed.
Hesperaloe funifera
Red Yucca/Hesperaloe parviflora               clump, red or yellow flowers


Nolinas are good substitutes for yuccas as they do not have sharp points on the leaves.  The flowers are similar to yuccas but not as pretty.

Nolina funifera
This nolina has threads on the edges of the leaves.









Nolina longifolia                                 6'x6' shrub

Beargrass Tree/Nolina matapensis     
6'x6' shrub
a beautiful fountain-shape plant





Beargrass/Nolina microcarpa              4'x7' clump
Nolina nelsoni                                    12'x6' tree
Parry's Beargrass/Nolina parryi           15'x6' tree

Texas Beargrass/Nolina texana           
5'x5' shrub
This nolina just looks like a messy overgrown clump of grass.  It blooms reliably, but the long stalks of flowers aren't particularly pretty.

Spanish Bayonet/Yucca aloifolia        
10'x5'   clump
flowers nestled in leaves
This yucca requires a little more water than other varieties.  I have all my desert plants on drip irrigation.  The amount of water can be varied by the distance from the source and the button flow controller.  The is one of the yuccas frequently found in nurseries.

Variegated Spanish bayonet/Yucca aloifolia 'marginata'     
10'x10' clump
yellow stripe on edges of leaves









Arkansas Yucca/Yucca arkansana                              2'x2' rosette

Joshua Tree/Yucca brevefolia    
15'x10' tree
flowers raised above leaves
This is a moderately slow grower.  I bought mine 10 years ago with only 3 heads and now it has a dozen or so.  However, that is an effect of watering.  For a number of years I had it on drip irrigation and that caused it to branch out and to offset.  Now it receives no water at all except for what the roots can find.




Silver-edged Yucca/Yucca constricta      clump, white-edged leaves, flowers high, dies after blooming
Soaptree Yucca/Yucca elata        6'x8' tree,  flowers high
Yucca Endlichiana                               tree
Adam's Needle/Yucca filamentosa   3'x5'   flowers high

Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'             
 3'x5' rosette
flowers on high stalk
occasional red stripe on leaves

Golden Sword Yucca/Yucca filamentosa 'Golden Sword'  
4'x4' rosette
flowers on high stalk
gold stripe on leaves
I found this plant at Lowe's last month and bought two.




Yucca filifera                      25'x2' tree  flowers hanging

Yucca flaccida 'Gold Sword'          
3'x5' clump
flowers raised above leaves
gold stripe on leaves

Spanish Dagger/Yucca gloriosa              
10'x8'   
flowers raised above leaves
This is the yucca seen all over the Los Angeles area where it is often planted near lawns.  It requires more water than other yuccas.  it is not winter hardy in Barstow, but freezes back and branches when it comes out again.  Mine look messy rather than stately because they have died back so many times.

Variegated Spanish Dagger/Yucca gloriosa 'variegata'     
8'x6' tree
flowers raised above leaves
blooms in Fall
This species must be in a sheltered location as it is marginal in Barstow and will freeze back.



Yucca linearifolia                           5'x5' shrub
Pale Yucca/Yucca pallida            2'x3' cluster
Yucca pallida x rupicola

Weeping Yucca/Yucca recurvifolia           
10' clump of columns
flowers raised above leaves
However mine has been in the ground for 10 years and is simply a clump, not a clump of columns.  It does bloom every Spring.







Yucca recurvifolia 'Gold Ribbons'          4'x4' shrub

Margaritaville Yucca/Yucca recurvifolia 'Hinvargas'
clump
yellow stripe on leaves
The first year I thought this variety was mislabeled as it seemed unexpectedly sensitive to the winter cold, but it perked up with warmer weather.

Blue Yucca/Yucca rigida              
12'x5' rosette
flowers nestled in leaves

Beaked Yucca/Yucca rostrata           
12'x9' column  
flowers on high stalks
After 10 years in the ground, this is a beautiful specimen plant.






Yucca rostrata 'sapphire Skies'
Twisted-leaf Yucca/Yucca rupicola     2'x4' shrub

Mojave Yucca/Yucca schidigera   
16'x10' clump  
flowers nested in leaves
This particular spectacular clump is on the south side of I-15 just beyond Outlet Center Drive.  This native yucca is rarely found in nurseries.  I suppose partly because it is native, and partly because the leaves are stiff and sharp.

Mountain Yucca/Yucca schottii           
20''x5' column  
flowers nestled in leaves
After 10 years in the ground, this plant is still a small clump.

Thompson's Yucca/Yucca thompsoniana 
10'x5' clump
flowers raised above leaves
blooms in Fall

Our Lord's Candle/Yucca whipplei  
3'x6' rosette
flowers raised high
dies after blooming






Chaparral Yucca/Yucca whipplei ssp caespitosa              3'x5' clump, flowers high

All of these pictures are from my garden.  I'm afraid I'm a bit of a collector when it comes to desert plants.  But I try to be a decent landscaper too.

Going Native - with cactus

Think "desert" and you think cactus.  Yet when we roam around the desert, unless we go to particular spots like the Cholla Garden in Joshua Tree National Park, we rarely see cactus.  I like to drive Camp Rock Road in the Spring when the Beavertail Cactus is blooming.  Cactus is easy to overlook until it blooms and then it is wonderful.  Las Vegas has several botanic gardens with colorful cactus displays in the Spring.  And the cactus garden at Huntington Gardens is superb.  I want a garden that looks like that!

Since native plants grow best in an area, here are the cacti native to the Mojave Desert:

Desert pincushion/Coryphantha chlorantha            [I have no experience with this]

Beehive Cactus/Coryphantha vivipara                   [I have no experience with this]

Buckhorn Cholla/Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa      [I have no experience with this]

Gold or Silver Cholla/ Cylindropuntia echinocarpa               

comes in two separate colors

     

     


Pencil Cholla/Cylindropuntia ramosissima                            
harder to start from pieces than others
minimal water
grows on vacant lots in my neighborhood

Cottontop Barrel/Echinocactus polycephalus                       

do NOT water

identify by: 11-25 ribs
clumping
red spines
yellow flowers
woolly fruit

 
Englemann Hedgehog/ Echinocereus engelmannii                 
do not water
 identify by: clump of 6"-8" columns
 pink flowers
juicy red fruit



Claret Cup Cactus/Echinocereus triglochidiatus              These do not do well for me

     


Compass Barrel/ Ferocactus cylindraceus                
reliable







California Pincushion/Mammillaria tetrancistra         [I have no experience with this]

     

Beavertail Cactus/Opuntia basilaris                                       

identify by: magenta flowers
triangular bluish pads

very few short yellowish spines

Engelmann Prickly Pear/Opuntia engelmannii                        

identify by: round green pads

white spines

apricot-colored flowers

grows on vacant lots in my neighborhood but looks better with water

Mojave  Prickly Pear/Opuntia phaeacantha                          
easy to clone
identify by: bicolor long brown spines along top
1-3 spines per areole
ovoid pad, red fruit

     


Grizzly Bear Cactus/ Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea
slow growing       
identify by: very long flexible white spines

 Beehive Cactus/Scelerocactus johnsonii                    [I have no experience with this]

 Mojave Fishhook/Scelerocactus polyancistrus          [I have no experience with this]

The opuntia and cylindropuntia grow well for me, but I have lost more small cacti than I care to remember.  The problem seems to be that growers grow the plants under shade cloth, so they need to be acclimated to our hot sunny days, not just planted in the ground.  I start my opuntia and cylindropuntia from pieces given me by friends so do not have that problem. However that means that often I do not know what species I have and they are not easy to identify.  Also, some of the smaller native cactus are hard to find in a store as nurseries tend to carry the more popular, showy varieties.